5 Family-Friendly, Healthy, & Fun...

5 Family-Friendly, Healthy, & Fun Memorial Day Sides

Yes! Those are fries. No, they’re not bad for you. But the kids will get grabby, all the same.

Memorial Day means the (unofficial) start of summer, and for that you’ll need fun food that you can share with family and friends. Of course, we’re all about convenience and know it’s not always easy to find weekend recipes that are healthy, quick to make, and kid-friendly (hey, we were kids once, too.) We’ve put together five summer side dishes from some of our favorite bloggers around the web. These get us excited, appeal to everyone, and fit our healthy bill, too. Check them out!

Also pictured above. We love that blogger Monique from Ambitious Kitchen turned a traditionally unhealthy food (French fries) to something homemade, healthy, gluten-free, and equally as delicious. Total cooking time is 45 minutes (we like), and some of the main ingredients include russet potatoes, sea salt, and parmesan (Monique uses lactose-free parmesan.) Check out the full recipe, and others like it, on her blog here.

Here’s one sneaky way to get the whole family to eat spinach and artichoke. We love this delicious recipe for spinach and artichoke dip from PaleOMG since it takes just ten minutes to whip up, and can be eaten with just about anything from veggies to sweet potato chips. Check out the full recipe on PaleOMG here.

Long weekends are a time of indulgence, and nothing says indulgence like a cheesy, veggie-loving pizza with a crust made from mozzarella cheese. We love that this grain-free recipe is low-carb and high-fat and so it will keep you full for much longer than a traditional pizza with bread crust. Check out the video from the KetoDiet YouTube channel below, or find the full recipe on the KetoDiet blog.

If you really want to pack in your protein levels and stay clean this Memorial Day, try these BBQ Lentil Lettuce Wraps from blogger Blissful Basil. They’re kind of like tacos, except instead of a tortilla you get a crunchy romaine lettuce wrap FILLED with yummy, protein-packed lentils that are simmered in BBQ sauce. Check out the full recipe on Blissful Basil.

We truly love this kid-tastic tortilla cup recipe from blogger Lemons for Lulu. According to her website, blogger Tanya created this recipe to raise awareness for Produce for Kids, an organization that educates families on the importance of a healthy diets with fresh produce. The tortilla cups are incredibly easy to make and don’t make too big of a mess, filled with black beans, veggies, and avocado. Feel free to skip on the ranch dressing if you feel it Find the full recipe on Lemons for Lulu here.

It’s not a holiday without sweet treats. But while reaching for a candy bar or pre-packaged Rice Krispies snack might be convenient, it’s not exactly the healthiest choice. (Not to mention, the kids will be hopped up on sugar and way too excited, all day.) When we stumbled on this vegan “Rice Krispies” bar recipe, we had to share. They have peanut butter! They’ve got almost 5 grams of protein per bar! And they only require six ingredients to make. You can also keep them in the fridge for a week after the weekend as a convenient snack. Check out the recipe from Jenny at Pop Sugar here.